Contents

Get in

Nelson is located on hwy 3A about 657 km (a 9 hour drive) from Vancouver and 624 km from Calgary.
It is also 237 km from Spokane, WA, 496 km from Banff and 454 km from Kamloops.

Air Canada, [4]. Offering daily flights from Vancouver and Calgary to Castlegar Regional Airport, (40 km away), with shuttle service to Nelson provided by Queen City Limo. It is recommended to book shuttle in advance. Budget and National car rentals are also available in the Castlegar Regional Airport.

Greyhound, [5]. Offering twice daily bus service to towns and cities throughout BC. Buses from Vancouver and Calgary take approximately 12 hours in total, including stops.

BC Transit, [6]. Offering a regional bus service throughout BC, apart from the Greater Vancouver region.

Get around

See

Museum of Art & History, 512 Vernon St. Tel: 250-352-9813, [7]. Displaying the culture and history of Nelson and District in its museum, archives and art gallery.

Nelson Mining Museum. Features thousands of rock, gem, fossil and mine core specimens from the West Kootenays and British Columbia. An extensive collection of books, mining publications and maps, both new and old, are available for public use. The facility is open year-round – check for daily and seasonal hours. Located at 215 Hall St. Tel: 250-352-5242

Streetcar 23. Open weekends and all summer. Historic restored streetcar that used to run down Baker Street now runs from Lakeside Park to Chahko Mika Mall and beyond along the lakeside.

Do

Nelson is an great base to explore the lakes, mountains and rivers of the surrounding area. The west arm of the Kootenay Lake flows past Nelson with several dams just below Nelson. The big orange bridge (known locally as BOB) is a local icon connecting the north shore to Nelson. Lakeside Park is a mix of grass and shade trees and sandy beach.

Spa/Retreat, [8]. Mountainwaters has many Spa services, treatments and packages. Also does weddings, wedding receptions and some accommodation. Located on the outskirts of Nelson, about 10 mins from downtown.

Yoga There are several yoga studios in Nelson, perhaps the biggest is Trinity Yoga, [9] who run yoga teacher training courses across Canada, as well as Yoga classes in Nelson. Shanti Yoga [10] are also worth noting and they run Yoga classes in town.

Kootenay School of the Arts[11], study fine craft production in clay, metal, jewelry and small object design or fibre. Community classes as well as two year Diploma programmes.

Enjoy the scenery of Nelson, go for a hike, snowshoe, or glacier swim!

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, [1]. can be accessed from the north shore (about 20 km from Nelson towards Balfour and the Kootenay Lake Ferry). Getting to the main trailhead into the park requires a steep 13 km drive to Gibson Lake.

High End

Drink

Bogustown Pub -- A relaxed atmosphere including an enjoyable patio, daily drink specials, and great service.

Spirit Bar located in the Hume Hotel, mixed crowd with DJ's on weekends and the occasional live act

The City of Nelson has its own brewery, The Nelson Brewing Company.[15].

The Library the lounge in the Hume Hotel, relaxing atmosphere, good food and drink, fireplace in Winter and live music in evenings

Louie's Steakhouse and Lounge, 616 Vernon St, ☎1 250 352 7211, [3]. Located in the renovated New Grand Hotel, Louie's serves up an enticing array of signature martinis, cocktails, and other libations in an elegant, relaxing atmosphere.

Sleep

Camping

Kokanee Creek Provincial Park 20km from Nelson BC. [16] With a large sandy beach, adventure playground, hot showers and a host of other amenities you’re sure to be comfortable and find plenty to do for you and your family. Open May 1-Sep 30.

Budget

There are currently three hostels in Nelson all of which are in good downtown locations, close to bars, restaurants and stores.

Dancing Bear Hostel[17]. Clean and quiet. Rates (2006) $22 to $50. Also group rooms at $68 to $152 per night, sleeping between 4 and 8 people.

New Grand Hotel and Hostel, [18]. Recently refurbished, it is located downtown on Vernon St. Has some private budget rooms available at (2009) $42 to $47 per night.

The Whitehouse Backpacker Lodge, [19]. Renovated grand Victorian building, it is located at the quiet end of Vernon St. Rooms are $25 - $30 pp/night (2007)

Moderate

Solterra Guest House[20] Beautiful private setting, close to downtown and the Burlington trail.

New Grand Hotel, [21]. In the same building as the 'New Grand Hostel', see above. Located downtown on Vernon St. Rates (2009) $79 to $109 per night.

The Prestige Inn, [22] Located by the lake shore on Front St. Rates (2006) $100 to $250 per night.

Luxury

Contact

There are many locations where the traveler can access wireless Internet, including the following: Safeway, Nelson Public Library, Best Western Baker St Inn, and many restaurants in town.

Get out

Ainsworth Hot Springs, [27]. Located approx. 47 km north of Nelson on Hwy 31. This resort is open for day visits ($5 to $11) and also has rooms (approx. $100 to $200, depending on season) and a restaurant. Rates are 2006 prices.

Winter

Whitewater Winter Resort, [28]. Located just 10 miles from Nelson and boasts 20 km of cross country trails, groomed and track set for all abilities. Average snowfall is 45 feet. Rates (2006) $46 per day for adults.